The ECTS System
ECTS – the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System – was developed by the European Union to provide an equal basis for the recognition of academic credits obtained during study abroad. The credits are awarded on the basis of a common grading scheme, so students can easily transfer credits from one European institution to another. The allocation of ECTS credits is based on the learning achievements and workload of a course.
Credit points are allocated as follows:
Course example | Type of course | ECTS credits | Hours per week |
Regional cultural studies (Landeskunde) | Practical | 6 | 2 |
Introduction to Synchronic Linguistics | Lecture + tutorial | 6 | 4 |
Introduction to Diachronic Linguistics | Lecture + tutorial | 6 | 3 |
Introduction to English/American Literature | Lecture + tutorial | 6 | 4 |
Survey of English Literature | Lecture + tutorial | 6 | 3 |
Lecture with tutorial | Lecture + tutorial | 3 | 3 |
Lecture (without tutorial) | Lecture | 2 | 2 |
Introductory seminar (Proseminar) | Seminar | 6 | 2 |
Practical (translation, oral practice, etc.) | Practical | 6 | 2 |
Upper-year seminar (Hauptseminar) | Seminar | 8 | 2 |
Special arrangements can be made for Erasmus students who need to obtain more or fewer credits for a specific course. Additional course work (e.g. an extra oral report, a written report) may be assigned in order to justify the additional credits.
Grading Scale
The following grading scale applies:
Grade | Grade description | ECTS grading scale |
ausgezeichnet | Extraordinary; exceeds all expectations | A |
sehr gut | Very good; fully meets all requirements | B |
gut | Good; meets the requirements | C |
befriedigend | Satisfactory; generally corresponds to the requirements | D |
ausreichend | Sufficient; in spite of some faults, still corresponds to the requirements | E |
mangelhaft | Failed; does not meet requirements but shows some basic knowledge, which gives hope that the deficiencies can be overcome in the foreseeable future | FX |
ungenügend | Failed; does not meet requirements and even the basic knowledge is so faulty that the deficiencies are unlikely to be overcome in the foreseeable future | F |
ECTS Course Value: Classes and Credits
The minimum study period for Erasmus+ students is one semester. Students generally receive 30 credits per semester and 60 credits per year with an average course load. Classes normally last 2 x 45 minutes, which counts as 2 Semesterwochenstunden (SWS; the number of hours per week a course takes place during a semester). Each course is allocated a certain number of ECTS credits, depending on its workload and SWS.
If you have further questions, please get in contact with our Erasmus+ coordinator, Fabiana Kutsche, in Room 4011. You will find her weekly office hours on the door. She will also arrange for Erasmus+ students to obtain a transcript of records at the end of their semester(s) here.
Studying English at the University of Freiburg
There are certain restrictions if you want to study English at the University of Freiburg. To avoid disappointment, please make sure you inform yourself about these restrictions in advance.
If your home university has an agreement with the English Department at the University of Freiburg, you will be allowed to study English after completing and passing an assessment test (see here).
If your sending institution does not have an agreement with the English Department at the University of Freiburg, you will be allowed to study English only if places are available.
If you are still unsure, please contact Fabiana Kutsche: erasmus@anglistik.uni-freiburg.de
In any case, you should contact us as early as possible!
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